Chandigarh: HIV +ve people to be offered jobs soon

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HIV +ve people to be offered jobs soon

25 Feb 2009, 0443 hrs IST, Shimona Kanwar, TNN

CHANDIGARH: UT's State AIDS Control Society (SACS) intends to provide

counselling to HIV positive persons from those who really know their troubles.

 

It intends to hire 10 HIV infected people for its integrated counselling and

training centre (ICTC).

The posts will pay Rs 3,000 per month. They will be advertised soon. Those on

the job will provide advice to HIV positive individuals and help them conduct

their therapy.

We have the approval of National AIDS Control Organization for this. These

counsellors will follow up on patients and urge them to continue treatment,â€

said UT SACS director Vineeta Gupta. There are 350 registered HIV positive

people in the city and 60% of them are unemployed despite being qualified.

As Pooja Thakur, president of the Chandigarh Network of People Living With HIV,

noted, “Basic treatment costs Rs 2,000 per month, though the antiretroviral

therapy comes for free. It is difficult to manage finances. Most of us are

turned out of offices when we disclose our HIV status. Therefore, this will be a

good opportunity.

The opening will also be of help for Rakesh Kumar, who is HIV positive. He is

surviving on a meagre Rs 400 per month. “I have been writing to all the health

and treasury department officials for the post of a peon advertised a year ago.

I had lost my only source of income when a project dispensary for HIV, where I

was working, closed down,†he said. “The virus makes these people vulnerable

to infections and fatigues them. They would be able to handle this kind of work,

noted Gupta.

Ms.Pooja Thakur

PresidentChandigarh Network of Positive People (CNP+)

Drop In Center - Int. Hotel, Sector 15A,

Madhya Marg, Chandigarh 160 015.

Tel.: +91-172-2784042, Cell: +91-9316177261

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